U2: Crushingly obvious, I know.

WELCOME... TO THE NEW YEAR: You can stream a live version of Pate's "New Year" (and three others from the 2003 reunion) at PateSpace.

THE DECEMBERISTS are advance streaming The King Is Dead LP, with special guests Gillian Welch and Peter Buck.

BROKEN BELLS played First Ave on December 6th, 2010; you can stream the whole gig on demand.

CRIS KIRKWOOD of the Meat Puppets did three free songs for Daytrotter, two of which were popularized by Geogre Jones.

SOUL-SIDES: Oliver Wang lists his Faves for 2010.

ABBA wishes you a "Happy New Year,"  but it doesn't sound anywhere as celebratory as "Take A Chance On Me."

THE YEAR IN MUSIC: Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot of Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions radio program join World Cafe host David Dye for a discussion.

A 2011 MUSIC PREVIEW from The Guardian... and All Things Considered... and the L.A. Times.

WARPAINT: Jenny Lee Lindberg and her sister, Shannyn Sossamon, talk musical roots and family ties with Nowness. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

QUEEN ELIZABETH II  bestowed New Year's Honors on Annie Lennox, Trevor Horn and Richard Thompson.

CHUCK BERRY was at his home near St. Louis and in good health Sunday after falling ill from exhaustion during a concert the previous night in Chicago.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Little Fockers edges True Grit at the top of the chart, with an estimated 26.3 million vs 24.5 million -- but the order could change when the actual receipts are tallied.  After all, Fockers dropped 14.7 percent while True Grit dropped a tiny 1.4 percent.  Also, the bigger picture is that Fockers broke the 100 million mark and matched the production budget, while True Grit has raked in 86.8 million on a mere 38 million budget.  Rooster Cogburn hands the Coen Bros their first full-on blockbuster; I would not be surprised if it ends up with a bigger total than Fockers at the ends of their runs. Tron Legacy holds the third slot with 18.3 million on a small 4.4 percent drop.  Still, even with a 130 million total to date against a 170 million budget, Disney is likely disappointed.  Yogi Bear actually climbed a slot, rising 66 percent from last weekend to pull in 13 million.  Apparently, New Year's weekend proved more kid-friendly than Christmas weekend. Who knew? That hypothersis is also supported by the The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader rounding out the Top Five with 10.5 million (a 10.8 percent increase) and Tangled climbing back to sixth place (a 55.7 percent increase over last weekend).  Then again, there were a lot of hefty increases for the smaller films below the fold with The Fighter, Black Swan and The King's Speech likely benefitting from people starting in on awards season selections.

SHANIA TWAIN got married to Frederic Thiebaud in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day.

VALERIE BERTINELLI married her boyfriend of seven years, financial planner Tom Vitale, over the weekend.

JOHN MELLENCAMP & ELAINE IRWIN have ended their 18-year marriage.

VAL KILMER owes nearly 500K in federal taxes.

LINDSAY LOHAN's ex-con Dad hired an R&B singer to write a dance song for his estranged daughter while she's in rehab.

RUSSELL BRAND posted a rather unflattering picture of his wife Katy Perry on his Twitter page that shows the singer without a scrap of make-up.

FORMER PLAYMATES tell of the grubby world inside Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire.

24: 20th Century Fox has nixed a script that would have continued the storyline of the rogue CTU agent Jack Bauer.

FILM LISTS: PopMatters serves up a Best and Worst of 2010. The Daily Beast lists overlooked films. IndieWire has a Best list. At Salon, Matt Zoller Seitz has a Best Scenes list.

AFGHANISTAN: As 2011 begins, there are, say senior US military officials, some clear differences emerging in the way Gen. Petraeus is now handling the Afghanistan theater. Chief among the changes is one that represents something of a gamble to some in the Pentagon.

IRAQ: The number of civilians killed in violence in Iraq fell last year and December was the least deadly month of 2010, official figures showed on Saturday.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A bio-engineered singing mouse.

A RARE, MINIATURE PANDA COW was born in Lakeland, CO.

HOSTILE CAMEL tazed into submission.

KITTEH leads officials on chase, gets adopted by deputy.

THE NEW YEAR'S WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEAT FARMERS!  Because I was in the mood for an encore of this more sober than usual, professionally-shot, early BF gig recorded at Universal Studios, including "There She Goes Again" (VU); "Road to Ruin," "Bigger Fool," "Reason to Believe" (Springsteen), "Powderfinger" (N. Young), "Happy Boy," "Big Ugly Wheels," "Bigger Stones," "Gun Sale at the Church," "Dallas Blues," "I Wanna Be Free," "Lakeside Trailer Park," "Death Train," and "Seven Year Itch."  If you're new to the band, my picks would be "Bigger Stones," "Happy Boy" and the cover of your choice.  SUPER-SPECIAL BONUS:  Now how much would you pay?  But wait... there's more!  If you really want to see someone put the "bar" in "bar band," watch these NSFW clips from Houston, TX of the late Country Dick Montana leading the band through "Lucille" (K. Rogers) -- complete with his favorite beer bottle stunts -- followed by "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Wino," "Are You Drinkin' With Me, Jesus?" and "Mondo."

YEASAYER is offering a live album for download. Name your price, including free.

THE KLAXONS are offering the Landmarks of Lunacy EP for streaming and download.

THE TOP EPs of 2010, according to KCRW social media host Betsy Moyer, with streaming tracks from Dale Earnhart Jr. Jr., The Smiles, The Generationals, Sufjan Stevens and more...

THE ROXY MUSIC STORY: A BBC documentary presented by Jarvis Cocker. One day left to listen!

BELLE & SEBASTIAN: The webcast is over, but the band's Holiday Spectacular, with popular classics, fan favorites and a few festive surprises, remains available in audio.

MARK RONSON & BUSINESS INTL stopped by WNYC's Green Space for a mini-session.

JOE JACKSON: Pate frequently attempted "One More Time" to hilarious effect, so today I stick with Joe's early material, including "Sunday Papers" live on the OGWT, "Kinda Kute" on the Kenny Everett Video Show, a Beat Crazy-era run of "On Your Radio" the official clip for "It's Different For Girls" and a bracing live take on "I'm The Man." That last one is taken from the Rock Goes To College show, which also boasts this pulsing version of his signature "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

SHARON VON ETTEN is interviewed by The Dumbing of America, so it's worth a backlink to her recent World Cafe session. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

BOB SEGER is celebrated at The Guardian, including a vintage video of one of my all-time favorite Seger tracks, "Rambklin' Gamblin' Man."

THE TURD in the CAVIAR: 24 songs that almost derail great albums.

IN MEMORIAM: NPR's accounting for Musicians We Lost in 2010.

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Guy Lombardo to AC / DC, from Otis & Carla to Ray Davies & Alex Chilton, from Guided by Voices to Roy Orbison, plus the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Members, Sylvia and more -- the final fortuitous finds of the year are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NICK CAVE & SHANE MacGOWAN: "What a Wonderful World."

NOW SHOWING? There are no new wide releases this weekend.  The controversial Blue Valentine opens on a whopping four screens, which I'm guessing are in NYC and LA for awards purposes.  However, I do have a couple of capsule reviews of current releases...

THE FIGHTER: I was tempted to say "it's a boxing movie." It has many of the boxing tropes, but it's really more about family (and as such, not really a family film).  Accordingly, while Mark Wahlberg is the lead in the film, and capable enough as such, it's really Amy Adams, Melissa Leo and especially Christian Bale who fuel this film (as the girlfriend, mother and brother, respectively).  Wahlberg may take the punches, but it's Bale's scenes that are the most brutal, in no small part to the way in which he melts into his role, even at the physical level.

BLACK SWAN: The family behind the performer is here, though not the centerpiece. Here I give into the temptation to say "it's a backstage drama." Indeed, Black Swan pulls out the gimmick of having the backstage parallel the onstage to some degree.  And a movie which does that had better be good at it or be dismissed as formula.  In this case it is good, for the opposite reason as The Fighter.  Here, while Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey (plus Vincent Cassel and Wynona Ryder in lesser roles) are a capable supporting cast, Black Swan rises on the star turn of Natalie Portman, who makes her Nina Sayers far more compelling and sympathetic than she ought to be on paper.  I have seen this compared to Darren Aronofsky's last film, The Wrestler, because he originally had the characters in the same script -- and that's unfair.  Granted, both characters sacrifice themselves for their performances, but in terms of genre and tone, The Wrestler may be closer to The Fighter (which Aronofsky exec produced) than the psychodrama of Black Swan.

SHOWBIZ NEWS is truly dead, so we'll meet back here in the New Year! 

EDWYN COLLINS is joined by Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy on "Do It Again," an advance track from Losing Sleep.

TY SEGALL did five free songs for Daytrotter. For fans of primitivism.

THE HOLD STEADY, Live at First Ave on the Fourth of July.

SARA & SEAN WATKINS of Nickel Creek stopped by Folk Alley for a session.

THE NATIONAL: There are two versions of their recent gig at the legendary Maxwell's posted at nyctaper.

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN covers Green's "Got to Get a Record Out" to close a set at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

JOHNNY CASH: Inspired by Dan Hill?

VAN DYKE PARKS: His early years are profiled by KPCC. (Thx, LHB.)

LONG WINTERS frontman John Roderick's Top 10 reasons he hates year-end Top 10 Lists. (Thx again, LHB.)

ABBA singer Agnetha Faltskog would like to meet with her former bandmates to discuss a reunion.

CHARLIE SHEEN is partying hard once again and missed three family Christmas events as he lived the high life, according to RadarOnline.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & ANNE HATHAWAY are this year's Hasty Pudding Award winners.

GIRLS GONE WILD mogul Joe Francis and Christina McLarty have split less than two months after tying the knot. Shocka!

BRETT FAVRE was fined 50 grand by the NFL Wednesday for failing to cooperate with the league's investigation into graphic photos and suggestive messages he was accused of sending to a woman while both were employed by the Jets in 2008. Somehow, the NYT forgot to report that Wednesday was -- coincidentally enough -- the day after New Jersey's statute of limitations for workplace sexual harassment claims ran out.

CLINT EASTWOOD reveals more casting for his J. Edgar Hoover biopic.

CELEBRITY HEALTH SECRETS: Debunked.

TERROR in the UK: The US State Dept confirms that the 12 terrorism suspects arrested in the UK last week had targeted the American Embassy in London.

IRAN: Fuel consumption has fallen by 20 percent one week after the government ended petroleum subsidies.

PAKISTAN: The apparent use of a woman for carrying out suicide blast in Bajaur Agency on Saturday is a change of tactics and could turn into a dangerous trend.

HAPPY FEET: Life imitates animation.

POLAR BEAR vs SEAGULL: Who you got?

NEARLY 70 BATS have been found dead in Tucson and Arizona Game and Fish officials are searching for answers.

WHEN JELLYFISH ATTACK: Paramedics hospitalized at least three people while nearly 100 were treated for jellyfish stings Wednesday in Wakiki.

HOW CURIOUS GEORGE Escaped the Nazis.

ELBOW previews "Lippy Kids" from Build a Rocket, Boys! (due in March), live at Blueprint Studios.

ABIGAIL WASHBURN is advance streaming City of Refuge, which "takes her outside of the her comfortable folk and roots sound and pushes her toward a more rock and pop feel."

JASON COLLETT did three free songs for Daytrotter.

YOUSSOU N'DOUR, rumored to be a future candidate for president of Senegal, is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices.

THE DECEMBERISTS have dropped "January Hymn" as the second advance track to The King Is Dead LP.

THE WEEPIES stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

THE SPINNERS: "Rubberband Man." Guaranteed to blow your mind.

THE NUMBER ONE LPs of 2010, according to Billboard, compiled by Idolator.

THE 50 BEST SONGS of 2010, according to Paste.

THE 20 WORST SONGS of 2010, according to the Village Voice.

AN ANONYMOUS TWITTER ACCOUNT is the Village Voice's Music Critic of the Year.

THE LOHANS are mulling legal action against "Dogs in Pocketbooks" - a movie pretty clearly based on Lindsay Lohan's wild ride. Lohan will blow out of Betty Ford next week, but she has a plan in place to stay sober.

ELTON JOHN becomes a dad at 62.

REESE WITHERSPOON got engaged to Hollywood agent Jim Toth.

LILY ALLEN got engaged to boyfriend Sam Cooper while they were vacationing in Bali.

LeANN RIMES and Eddie Cibrian also got engaged over the holidays.

KELSEY GRAMMER wants a quickie divorce in order to remarry. He may be on the hook for 50 million dollars to his future ex.

DEMI LOVATO may or may not have a sex tape, but she has an unlikely ally who's gonna make sure it never gets released.

FRIENDS: Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox spent Christmas Eve together. Aw.

HUGH HEFNER is engaged, but will he actually marry Crystal Harris?

THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY adds 25 more films, deeming Airplane! and others "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

THE TOP 10 HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIES of 2010, compiled by Film Drunk.

AfPAK: There's no practical way for US troops to seal Afghanistan's vast border with Pakistan and stop all Taliban fighters from slipping through, so they are focusing on defending vulnerable towns and fighting insurgents on Afghan soil, a US military commander said Tuesday.

IRAQ's leaders are investigating the possibility of removing some of Baghdad's hundreds of much hated checkpoints because of the improving security situation.

KITTEH totally cheats at foosball.

NEWS CHOPPER blows calf to safety.

ILLINOIS PET STORES will now be required to give buyers the details of every animal's health history.

FINDING NEMO? No, but it might be Bruce the Shark.

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN releases "The Magic" as the first video from her upcoming album, The Deep Field.

BEST RELEASES from Superchunk, Tracey Thorn, The National, Beach House and more are streaming via Spinner.

STARS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

BEN WILKINS, whose piano-powered alt-pop recalls Ben Folds, gets a feature plus tracks from Weekend All Things Considered.

THE JACKSON 5's unreleased first studio recording --a version of "Big Boy" -- is streaming a bit via the Chicago Reader.

THE SMITHS: Unreleased Demos & Instrumentals.

SIMON & GARFUNKEL: "Homeward Bound" and "I Am a Rock" for Twofer Tuesday.

THE YEAR IN MUSIC NEWS, courtesy of Pitchfork.

DAFT PUNK talks to the L.A. Times about scoring Tron Legacy (Part 1, Part 2).

MARNIE STERN is profiled by Sasha Frere-Jones for The New Yorker.

ARCADE FIRE: Will and Win Butler joked with the BBC about Harry Potter and Kanye West as they reflected on their stellar year.

NATALIE PORTMAN and choreographer Benjamin Millepied are engaged and expecting their first child. I sense a great disturbance in the Force.

ALANIS MORISSETTE and Mario 'Souleye' Treadway welcomed a baby boy on Christmas Day. Obligatory "you oughtta know" reference goes here.

THE TOP 10 MUGSHOTS of 2010, courtesy of E! Online.

LYDIA HEARST SHAW, a model, 26-year-old heir to the Hearst publishing fortune and daughter of once-kidnapped Patricia Campbell Hearst and Bernard Shaw, has landed her first big Hollywood role as a comic character based on troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan.

TRUE GRIT: Back in the Sixties, Paramount bought copies of the novel to make it a hit.

TRON: UPRISING is coming to a TV screen near you, with Bruce Boxleitner, Elijah Wood, Linda Moore, Paul Reubens, and Lance Henriksen.

THE 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL FILMS of 2010, according to / Film's David Chen.

15 GREAT PUBLIC DOMAIN MOVIES streaming online, including His Girl Friday and a great Fleischer Bros. Superman short, via Moviefone.

TERROR in the UK: A court charged nine Muslim men for conspiring to carry out terror attacks in the United Kingdom.

AFGHANISTAN: Internal UN maps show a marked deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan during this year's fighting season. A Pentagon report mandated by Congress drew similar conclusions when it was released last month.

PUPPEHS FOR CHRISTMAS: Let's go to the videos.

PAUL the PSYCHIC OCTOPUS has won a Dafta award, which celebrates the best weird news stories of 2010.

200000 REINDEER in Norway are being fitted with reflectors to protect them from being run over.

CHUPACABRA shot in Kentucky? Or just a follicly challenged raccoon?